News from the Naxos Music Group

Last but not least, Naxos is very pleased to present its Complete Beethoven Edition on November 1. This boxed set of 90 discs spans orchestral, concerto, keyboard, chamber, music for the stage, choral and vocal works, encompassing his most familiar and iconic masterpieces, alongside rarities and recently reconstructed fragments and sketches, some in world premiere recordings. The roster of artists and ensembles includes some of Beethoven’s greatest contemporary exponents, in performances that have won critical acclaim worldwide.

Naxos artist Boris Giltburg has swept up numerous awards for his Liszt recordings, but one of his first releases for Naxos was of piano sonatas by Beethoven. It certainly made an impact on the critics: ‘...a powerful mix of astounding technique, gripping drama, and interpretive insight. …This is great pianism and great Beethoven playing at its very best.’ (Fanfare) So, we can all look forward with confidence to the success of Boris' next foray into Beethoven via the composer's first two piano concertos with their abundance of lyric and virtuosic qualities. Add to this the names of conductor Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, who astounded everyone with their world-beating Naxos edition of Shostakovich's symphonies, and we really do have a treat in store.

The latest Gramophone Podcast features Boris Giltburg, in an interview about his new Naxos recording of Beethoven's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and conductor Vasily Petrenko. Listen to the podcast on www.gramophone.co.uk. The next album will be released in Spring 2020.

The fourth volume in Naxos new edition of Beethoven’s orchestral works performed by Leif Segerstam and the excellent Turku Philharmonic Orchestra features the entire incidental music written for Goethe’s play Egmont, not just the ever popular overture. Very few alternative recordings are available of this full version, with the sequence of movements taking us through the dramatic gamut of the play, from tragic darkness to moral triumph. It cements Segerstam's assertion that he has a ‘special place for Beethoven between my ears.’ He receives excellent support here from soprano Kaisa Ranta, known internationally for her recitals and opera roles, while the narration of Egmont is strikingly delivered by the renowned Wagnerian Finnish bass Matti Salminen. This album has won critical acclaim, including ‘Disc of the Week’ by BBC Radio 3, Gramophone’s ‘Recording of the Month’ and a 5-star review from The Guardian.

Beethoven again has the wind in his sails with this tremendous release of music for wind ensemble, a genre that formed a regular part of entertainment in the composer's day. Included on the programme, for example, is his Sextet for winds in E flat major that was well received by a critic at the time for its ‘splendid melodies, leisurely harmonic flow, and wealth of new and surprising ideas.’ The works on the recording may have been frequently recorded, but never before by such a distinguished line-up of players. With professorships at leading institutions such as the Yale School of Music, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Adelphi University and others, this is as influential a team of wind players as you could imagine. Beethoven enthusiasts and lovers of wind music will be beating a path to hear their take on these repertoire evergreens.

Christian Tetzlaff, one of the greatest violinists of our time, performs these two cornerstone works of the violin repertoire with the DSO Berlin under the baton of its new music director Robin Ticciati. Among his lengthy tally of awards, Tetzlaff was named Artist of the Year by the ICMA in 2015, and Instrumentalist of the Year in the 2017 OPUS Klassik awards. This album features the violin concertos by Beethoven and Sibelius. Both concertos are much more than virtuosic showpieces; they embody music of enormous depth and feeling that did much to immortalise both composers. These interpretations simply must not be missed.

Pianist Sophie-Mayuko Vetter presents the world premiere recording of a reconstruction of around 70 pages of sketches for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 6 in D major (fragment) by Nicholas Cook and Hermann Dechant. Another special feature of this release is that the Piano Concerto ‘No. 0’ in E flat major, WoO 4 is heard in period style, performed on a fortepiano made by the London piano manufacturer John Broadwood in 1806. The expressive and harmonically rich vocabulary of the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19 clearly demonstrates the young Beethoven’s development as an autonomous Viennese classicist.

Sophie-Mayuko Vetter has been praised as an artist of extraordinary expressivity and versatility by press and colleagues alike. Her previous recording on OehmsClassics received an ICMA nomination and was awarded a Supersonic rating by Pizzicato: ‘Deeply felt performances of two Mozart concertos, where Sophie-Mayuko Vetter’s playing can be compared with that of Clara Haskil, Géza Anda or the young Barenboim.’

The winners of Gramophone's 2019 Classical Music Special Awards were announced at a ceremony in London's Grand Connaught Rooms on October 16. We are delighted to report that the Hong Kong Philharmonic was named Orchestra of the Year.

The Gramophone Award for Best Contemporary Recording went to Opus Arte, one of Naxos' affiliated labels, for their audiovisual release of Brett Dean's opera Hamlet (OA1254D).

‘Screen viewing allows for total focus on an astonishing central performance from Allan Clayton. His portrayal of Hamlet’s decline would be noteworthy even without singing that is full of expressive meaning and always imbued with stringent beauty even in rage’ – Gramophone

Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole brims with attractive melodies and bristles with ingenious and virtuosic passagework reflecting the phenomenal technique of its dedicatee, Pablo de Sarasate. The work is a significant part of star-violinist Tianwa Yang’s repertoire, performed numerous times a year. With GRAMMY-nominated conductor Darrell Ang, Yang displays her stunning virtuosity and techniques, a collaboration that Fanfare has noted as ‘worth watching.’ [Naxos 8.573067]

Now available exclusively on Apple Music, this visual album shows off Tianwa Yang’s quicksilver technique, playing repertoire that is ingenious and virtuosic, with an indelibly Iberian feel.

‘The creative process of this album was very different from my previous one, where I could pick and choose from songs that I had had years to complete. This time the music was created during mere hours over the course of a few evenings. There is a magic in the moment when improvising that I’ve found difficult to recreate afterwards. ”A Better Place” consists mostly of written down improvisations and then recorded with the trio without further processing. I think one tends to make better musical decisions on the spot, instead of at the desk where time is unlimited.’ – Joel Lyssarides

Joel Lyssarides recently received this year’s Best Musician of the Year award by Sveriges Radio/Jazzkatten for the outstanding performance of his well-received debut album.

Classical String Quartet Arrangements
Composer and arranger Peter Breiner has created a wonderful collection of arrangements of the most famous classical music works. The practical arrangements in our Classical String Quartets collection are extremely useful for performing musicians. The works are ideal for weddings, parties and concerts. We're sure you'll enjoy them and hear these wonderful works in a new light.

Christmas String Quartet Arrangements
Peter Breiner's gorgeous arrangements of the world's most famous Christmas songs for string quartet are great news for all string players. These practical arrangements are well-suited to every string quartet.

New Orchestral Hits 4 Kids, by Mr E & Me.
Catchy contemporary music for children performed by an orchestra is a rarity. New Orchestral Hits For Kids aims to open ears, new and old to the wonderful sounds of the orchestra.These gorgeous new songs were written, arranged and performed by two highly accomplished musicians, Mr. E. aka Erik Johannessen of Jaga Jazzist fame and Me aka Martin Hagfors an acclaimed songwriter, artist and lyricist.

On September 21, Oper! Magazine presented its first Oper! Awards to the best international artists on and behind the stage across 20 categories. The award ceremony was held at the Konzerthaus Berlin.

The Donizetti Opera Festival Bergamo, which has a long-term partnership with the Dynamic label, received the Best Festival award.  They shared the same mission of spreading Donizetti's works around the world.

For the full list of Oper! Awards 2019 winners, visit www.oper-awards.com/.

Dynamic has recently released a 13-DVD box-set which entitled Donizetti Heroines. This collectors’ release offers a selection of nine operas featuring some of the most iconic and unforgettable Donizetti characters, performed by outstanding singers such as Mariella Devia, Jessica Pratt, Carmela Remigio, Patrizia Ciofi and Sonia Ganassi.

‘…Just breathtaking.’ – OperaJournal

Filmed On 16 And 18 October 2018
At The Opéra Comique, Paris, France